


Saving Her

by vianne78



Series: Danae - Shorts and Drabbles [4]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Pre-Relationship, Short, Very Ill Danae, Worried Vorstag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-04
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-27 20:30:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10816158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vianne78/pseuds/vianne78
Summary: A particularly nasty spell is threatening Danae's life.





	Saving Her

After their battle against a lair of dark mages, her condition had deteriorated swiftly.  
At first she had insisted she was merely tired and just needed to rest, but when he had found the cave and they were settling in for an early night, it had become evident she was lying.  
Something far more serious and sinister was happening. 

Her breathing was shallow, her skin cold and more ashen by the minute. He hadn’t found external damage extensive enough to cause anything even remotely like this, and potions weren’t working at all. 

“Danae?” There was an edge of panic in his voice, and he hated himself for it. “Danae, please, you need to tell me what to do. I don’t know what to do.”  
Her eyes opened a little, and a wave of nausea flooded his gut. Instead of the usual silver, her eyes were white. Glassy white. They didn’t look human at all.

“A spell, it… was a spell.” Her voice was hoarse and weak, but at least it was her own voice.  
“If anyone can help... Danica. Whiterun.”  
“The priestess? I’ll go right now.” His stomach fell. They weren’t that far from Whiterun, but it would still take hours to run there and back. What would be waiting for him when he got back?  
Before he turned away, her hand grasped his arm, stopping him.  
“Hurry... my love. Shadowmere,” she breathed, and her eyes closed again, her icy hand falling limply from his arm.  
He searched her neck frantically for a pulse, sending prayers to the Nine to please, please let her be alive, and relief almost made him crumble to the ground when he found it, fluttering under his fingers. 

She had clearly been delirious, but she had mentioned Shadowmere.  
She was right. It might hate Vorstag, but riding would shorten the travel time, and every moment counted.

“You!” He stalked toward the massive beast, and it swished its tail testily, ears flattening back.  
“No time for that. She will die, do you understand? If we don’t work together, she will die.”  
Red eyes flicked toward the cave’s mouth. The dark stallion seemed to be listening, and then it huffed, looking straight at Vorstag, for the first time without any animosity. It knew.  
He nodded and had barely flung himself on its back when it was already moving, the gallop swallowing the road so fast it felt like flying. 

In fact, it was even faster than that.  
Every now and then the road blurred for a split second, and they had somehow jumped further. They were closing in on a small hill - then they were on the other side of it. A tower in front of them - then it was far behind.  
“I don’t care if you hate me and I don’t care how you do it, but keep on doing what you’re doing. It just might save her life,” Vorstag said under his breath, when Whiterun appeared on the horizon.

***

Danica Pure-Spring had wasted no time asking many questions, when Vorstag had appeared in the Temple of Kynareth, pale and out of breath. She merely picked up a large pouch from somewhere close to the door, and was ready to go. Fear of losing Danae was now almost paralyzing, and Vorstag was relieved to be on the way back so quickly.  
It should have taken hours, but they were back within just one, Shadowmere carrying two people effortlessly, and they rushed into the cave.

But it was too late.  
Air left his lungs like he had been punched, and no matter how he tried, he couldn’t draw another breath.  
Danae was lying next to a dagger, glassy white eyes staring up, pearly white blood oozing from the vein she had opened from her own arm.  
He couldn’t breathe, and was counting the painful, heavy thuds of his heart, because surely it would stop at any moment now.  
Danica Pure-Spring kneeled next to the lifeless figure of the woman he had traveled with the past months.  
He couldn’t breathe.

“Oh, you clever girl.” The priestess said, a smile in her voice, and he snapped out of his misery.  
“What did you say?” He rasped, and Danica glanced up at him, noting the look on his face.  
“Oh no, my dear, all is not yet lost. Look,” and she gestured to the puddle around Danae’s limp arm. Looking closer, he noticed there was a fair amount of pure, deep red blood around the sickening white liquid.  
“She did it on purpose, knowing I’d need her blood. Her own, clean blood. She still has a chance,” the priestess clarified, and then kicked him briskly out of the cave.

***

Vorstag stayed outside with Shadowmere, both staring at the cave.  
Night had fallen and the sky was pitch black.  
No stars could be seen. No moons.  
A blue glow coming from the cave was now the only source of light.  
There was no wind. Time had slowed to a crawl. It was silent.  
His heart was still beating.

Hours (or was it days?) later, when the first glow of dawn kissed the two distressed souls, something moved at the cave’s mouth. Shadowmere huffed, alerting Vorstag.  
It was Danica Pure-Spring, wiping her hands on a rag, looking exhausted, pale and somber.  
Vorstag hurried to her, Shadowmere right behind him. They were waiting for her to speak, to either bless or curse them both. 

A small smile finally appeared on her face, and she nodded. Merely a nod, but that was enough to make life rush back into Vorstag in one warm wave.  
He took her by the shoulders and kissed her cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered, and then he was gone.

The priestess looked at Shadowmere affectionately.  
“And you have my thanks, my magnificent friend. I have never seen anything quite like what you did. She will sleep the rest of it off, and then she will ride with you to save Skyrim again.”  
The stallion nudged Danica’s arm, nickering softly, and she laughed, astonished.  
“Truly, you are a friend. It would take me a long time to walk back by myself, so I gladly accept.” She climbed tiredly onto Shadowmere’s back, and then they, too, were gone.

***

Vorstag approached Danae silently. A few candles were flickering on a stone shelf, and in their warm light, he could see that she had some of her color back.  
He kneeled next to her, carefully brushing his fingers along the arm she had slashed open. There was no scar, and her skin was once again warm to the touch.  
She stirred a little and sighed, and he pulled his hand away.

“Don’t go.” It was barely a whisper. Was she dreaming? But then she spoke again.  
“Vorstag...stay with me.”  
_Anything. Anything for you._ He reached to run his hand lightly in her hair.  
“I’m not going anywhere,” he promised, and settled next to her on the furs.  
She weakly felt for his hand, and when she found it, softly urged him to scoot closer and hold her. So he did, tucking her head under his chin and gathering her against him.

She still felt frail under his arm, but she was there and solid and alive. Their fingers curled together, and he felt her light breaths against his neck even out as she drifted back to sleep.  
His dizzying relief and exhaustion soon got the better of him, and there, on the floor of the small cave, they slept together, for the first time in each other’s arms.


End file.
